USPTO Patents Application 09883279

PRELIMINARY AMENDMENT
Continuation of U.S. Appln. No. 09/411,256

Entry and consideration of this Amendment is respectfully requested.

2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037-3213
Telephone: (202) 293-7060
Facsimile: (202) 293-7860

Date: June 19, 2001

REMARKS

Respectfully submitted,

SUGHRUE, MION, ZINN,
MACPEAK & SEAS, PLLC

Grant K. Rowan
Registration No. 41,278

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PRELIMINARY AMENDMENT
Continuation of U.S. Appln. No. 09/41 1,256

APPENDIX

VERSION WITH MARKINGS TO SHOW CHANGES MADE

IN THE CLAIMS ;

The claims are amended as follows:

1 . (Once amended) A load handling apparatus for a counterbalance type forklift,
comprising:

one tillable operating lever disposed on a body of the forklift;

a mast tiltable in an anteroposterior direction and disposed on said forklift;

a Uftable fork disposed on said mast;

a solenoid proportional control valve, in which a tilting speed of said mast and lifting and
lowering speeds of said fork are controlled by a degree of opening of said solenoid proportional
control valve, said degree of opening being proportional to a tilting angle of said operating lever;

a switch attached to said operating lever; and

a controller [for controlling so as to output a signal for tilting] that tilts said mast when
said operating [level] lever is tilted and [under a state where] said switch is in a first switching
state [operated], that [output a signal for lifting or lowering] lifts or lowers said fork when [only]
said operating lever is [operated; and disable actions of lifting and lowering] tilted and said
switch is in a second switching state, and that prevents lifting and lowering of said fork when
said switch is changed from said first switching state to said second switching state [to an
inactive condition under a state where] while said operating lever is tilted [in an tilting operation
condition unless said operating lever is returned to a neutral condition].

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PRELIMINARY AMENDMENT
Continuation of U.S. Appln. No. 09/411,256

2. (Once amended) A load handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said controller includes an inhibiting circuit for stopping the tilting action of the
mast and the lifting or lowering action of the fork when said switch is switched from said first
switching state to said second switching state while said operating lever is being operated.

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